


summer days, drifting away

by dagorhir (Dagorhir)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Day At The Beach, F/F, Making Out, Rule 63, sunscreen application as seduction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25920157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagorhir/pseuds/dagorhir
Summary: Hinata didn't expect to run into Ushijima at the beach, and she didn't expect their little sisters to become instant friends. But since they're both here they can play beach volleyball while the younger girls hang out - although it seems Ushijima forgot sunscreen.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82
Collections: Haikyuu!! Volleygirls





	summer days, drifting away

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for Day 1: Beach of #HQvolleygirls week!
> 
> Please disregard the real world's geography, as it was inconvenient to the plot and would have prevented Shouyou and Natsu from biking to the ocean. Kanazawa is a city with a university near one of the sites where dinosaur fossils have been found in Japan. Borrowing Ushijima's little sister's name from TIPAP, a wonderful story which I perennially reread.

Shouyou wants to see as many people as she can while she's back home from university over the summer. Probably she's mostly going to spend her time with her mom and Natsu, though – which is fine, she likes her family! But Kageyama was invited to a training camp (just like every summer), and Yamaguchi is visiting Tsukki down in Kanazawa, and Yachi has a work placement teaching art to kindergarteners. Kenma and Bokuto are both still in Tokyo, Aone has a job, Koganegawa is travelling abroad, Izumi moved all the way to Osaka, and Koji got married last year and just had a baby so she's super busy.

It's not like Shouyou is lonely at university – she likes her teammates, and a lot of her classmates, and the teenagers who work at the corner store between the classroom buildings and the volleyball gym (they're super nice! Though it's weird how young they seem, when really they're second- and third-years in highschool, and Shouyou is only barely older). But she misses everyone from home almost every day.

The first night Shouyou gets back, Mom makes her favourite for dinner, and Shouyou barely manages to eat it because she has so much to tell them about what's been happening while she's at university. The next day she sleeps in, gets up after Natsu has already left to hang out with a friend, and helps out around the house while chatting with Mom – all the news about what's been happening here, and Mom making sure Shouyou has been taking care of herself.

On day three, Shouyou wakes up early, has breakfast with them both, and almost as soon as she's finished washing the last dish is hit with the overwhelming urge to Go Do a Thing.

"That's very thoughtful, Shouyou," Mom says. She's hanging laundry, Shouyou's clothes jumbled in with her's and Natsu's, the same way it was for so many years. "But I picked up groceries yesterday morning, and I can't think of anything else we need – so you get a day off."

"Right," says Shouyou. She lingers for a long moment, fidgeting. "Maybe Natsu needs something, I'll ask."

Mom looks over at her, and then down at where she's practically dancing with excess energy, and smiles. She adds another clothespin, securing a t-shirt, and suggests, "Why don't you girls go to the beach? It's a nice bike ride to get there, and it's supposed to be clear weather today."

Shouyou's face splits into a wide grin. "Thanks, Mom!" she yells as she runs back into the house to tell Natsu and get a towel and find her swimsuit and, and—

Natsu is also enthusiastic about the idea, and within twenty minutes they're on their bikes heading down to the sea. Shouyou asks her about classes and friends, and Natsu explains some interpersonal drama in great detail. (Her friend Yuu-chan likes a boy, and she and Natsu are both friends with the boy, so there are many tender and conflicting feelings involved.)

The beach is beautiful: sunny and warm, pale sand sparkling in the bright light. Gentle waves tumble ashore down at the waterline, and Shouyou spots a couple of volleyball nets further down the beach. She and Natsu leave their bikes in the racks by the entrance, then dart into neighbouring changing stalls in the wood-slat pavilion to put on their swimsuits and apply sunscreen. Appropriately garbed, they wander down the sand looking for a spot to sit down before they go swimming. Natsu is wearing a cute yellow swimsuit that's bright under the hot sun, and Shouyou has more of a sporty two-piece in blue – Shouyou swims too vigorously for bikinis, she's discovered. She likes jumping in big waves and bikini tops don't always stay put for that.

It's not crowded, only a scattering of families and small groups of students dotted across the beach. Shouyou idly sneaks glances at people as they pass – if she spots anyone she knows from Karasuno or another volleyball team, maybe they can play together later. But a lot of her classmates lived a lot closer to Karasuno than she did, so if they're at a beach it might be a completely different one. Shouyou isn't really _expecting_ to see anyone she knows, just vaguely hopeful that she might.

And then she stops in her tracks so suddenly she almost falls down.

Sitting cross-legged next to a much younger girl is Ushijima Wakatoshi.

"Ushijima!" calls out Shouyou without entirely meaning to, and takes several steps closer – they've never been friends, and it's been a few years since they saw each other, and maybe Ushijima would rather have uninterrupted time with her … sister? (The other girl looks around 10 years old, much too old for Ushijima to be her mom.)

Ushijima looks up, her face as stern as Shouyou remembers. But her expression doesn't get more frowny, so probably she doesn't hate seeing Shouyou.

"Hinata," she says, and stands. The younger girl stands too, shyly glancing at Shouyou. She's skinny and no taller than Shouyou, paler than Ushijima and with straight dark hair reaching just past her chin. In her lilac one-piece suit, she seems small next to Ushijima, who's even more solidly built than Shouyou remembers. (Ushijima is also wearing a sporty two-piece suit, and Shouyou wonders if she's also lost bikini tops to giant waves before.)

"Hi," says Natsu pointedly, and Shouyou quickly makes introductions – this is her sister Natsu; she and Ushijima know each other from volleyball in highschool.

Ushijima responds in kind; this is her sister, Akiko, who's in fifth grade. Akiko seems shy, she hasn't said anything yet, but she lifts her gaze just enough that she sees Natsu's tote bag – currently stuffed with Natsu's towel, water bottle, spare clothes, and snacks, and also emblazoned with Monkey D. Luffy.

"I like your bag," Akiko blurts out.

Natsu grins at her. "Oh, do you like One Piece too?"

Akiko lights up.

Shouyou looks over at Ushijima while their little sisters burst into quick, excited chatter about their shared favourite anime.

"I thought you lived pretty far away from here," Shouyou remarks.

Ushijima shakes her head. If she had her hair in a ponytail the way she always did in highschool, it would have brushed her shoulders, but it's braided and pinned up today. "Our family home is not very far." She pauses, and adds "We are currently staying with our grandparents, who live nearby. Our mother suggested we visit the beach."

Shouyou snickers. "Our mom kicked us out for the day too. I think it's a lot quieter at home when it's just her and Natsu."

The corner of Ushijima's mouth twitches. Shouyou is delighted; she's only ever seen the older woman smile once or twice.

"Do you and Akiko want to go swimming with us? And after that there are some volleyball nets at the other end of the beach—" Shouyou points, "—and I was going to see if I could find someone to play with."

Ushijima seems surprised to be invited, but says, "Yes. That sounds nice."

Swimming is great, Shouyou gets to jump in loads of waves. Akiko and Natsu splash in the shallows near the shore while Shouyou and Ushijima swim out a little farther. Shouyou always has extra energy on days when she doesn't have practice, and it's fun to go really fast in the water.

Natsu calls them back after a little while, since the sun is strong and she wants to get back under the shade. Shouyou obeys, Ushijima at her side as they both splash up the shore onto the sand. After just a few minutes sitting on her towel though, Shouyou is feeling fidgety again. She looks over at the others – Akiko has her phone out, Natsu is taking a nap, and Ushijima is gazing out at the ocean and drinking from her water bottle. She doesn't look winded or tired, maybe she's up for volleyball?

Luckily, it's Ushijima, she's almost _definitely_ up for volleyball.

"Hey, Ushijima," says Shouyou, and both Akiko and her sister look up at her.

Akiko giggles. She's much less shy after spending almost an hour talking to Natsu. "We're both Ushijima. You should call my sister Wakatoshi, it'll be less confusing."

Shouyou laughs along with her. "Sure! Wanna play beach volleyball, Wakatoshi?"

Ushijima watches this entire exchange silently, looking between Akiko and Shouyou, but says yes to volleyball and gets up to walk over to the courts with Shouyou. She pauses first to make sure Akiko has everything she needs. Shouyou has never seen Ushijima being a responsible big sister before; it makes her smile.

They walk along the warm sand without talking for a few moments. Shouyou is humming a song she only remembers part of under her breath, and jumping a little to match a previous set of footprints. She's glad she thought to bring a volleyball, even though it takes up most of the space in her bag. If Ushijima is staying with her family, maybe she misses playing with other people – practicing by yourself just isn't as fun.

"You aren't obliged to call me by my given name," Ushijima says abruptly. She's looking ahead, not at Shouyou, and there's a faint crease between her eyebrows. "Akiko is friendly, and casual in her speech."

"I like your sister," says Shouyou, "it's fine if she's casual. And you can call me Shouyou, so it's even!" They continue for a few more paces, and Shouyou belatedly realizes Ushijima might have been trying to ask something else. "Wait, do you _want_ me to call you by your family name?" Shouyou doesn't want to make the other woman uncomfortable.

She shakes her head. "I'm not offended by it." Ushiji – no, right, Wakatoshi slants a brief glance at Shouyou. "You and I have never been friendly before."

Shouyou shrugs, and rubs a hand over the short-cropped hair on the back of her head. "Yeah, but we can be friends _now_ if we want. Even just today, or while our sisters are hanging out."

Wakatoshi walks along a few moments without speaking. "I'd like that," she finally says, quieter than usual. Shouyou doesn't have time to ask what part of that she'd like, because they've arrived at the volleyball courts and they need to find a game to join.

Two boys who look a little younger than Shouyou are passing a ball back and forth at one court, and Shouyou runs ahead to say hi and see if they want to play. By the time Wakatoshi reaches the court, Shouyou has learned that the boy with the light hair is a spiker and the other one is a setter, and they're going to be third-years in the fall when school resumes, and they'd love to play.

"Do you two want to play together? Or we can split up," offers the dark-haired boy, Iga-something.

The other boy grins. "We're starters on the volleyball team, we're pretty good!"

"We have both been to Nationals multiple times," interjects Wakatoshi. Shouyou isn't sure if she intends to be rude, but Shouyou has never been on the same team as Wakatoshi, and she's not about to pass up the chance. (She's also surprised that Wakatoshi knows that Karasuno has been to Nationals more than once – she didn't know that Wakatoshi paid attention to any highschool teams except Shiratorizawa.)

"We'll stick together for now," Shouyou says, nodding towards Wakatoshi, "but we can always change things up after a few matches!"

Neither she nor Wakatoshi are setters, so it's a little rough at first. But Shouyou can at least do an underhand set to bump the ball high enough to spike, and Wakatoshi is okay at setting if she has a little extra time to position herself. She can't do Kageyama's pinpoint sets, so they can't do quick attacks, but these days Shouyou doesn't expect anyone but Kagayama 'I get special invitations to training camps all the time, I'm so talented' Tobio to be that good.

Their height difference is convenient for receives – if the ball comes from up high, Wakatoshi goes after it and Shouyou scrambles to get ready to set, and if the angle is low then Shouyou dives and tries to give the ball as much height as possible so Wakatoshi can get under it in time to set.

Blocking they actually work really well together. Shouyou can jump high enough that they make a pretty solid wall. Being eye-to-eye with Wakatoshi is super weird, even if it's only for a split-second while they're in midair.

With their slow start figuring out setting they don't win by a huge margin on the first game, but the boys only score five times on the second game, and Shouyou feels a little bad about winning by so much. She's ready to suggest switching up the teams, even though she really likes playing with Wakatoshi, the other woman is focused and attentive and they've pulled off some amazing plays, it's super fun! But just then some friends of their opponents wander over to retrieve them. The boys thank them for the game and say goodbye.

"That was fun!" Shouyou exclaims. She watches the boys and their friends drift away down the beach, standing still for a moment while she catches her breath.

"Yes," says Wakatoshi. "Shall we find new opponents?" Her breathing is heavier than usual, but steady; she's clearly still up for more.

Shouyou turns to her, excited at the idea of playing more games together—

"Ah, you're getting sunburned!" Shouyou says in dismay. She steps closer, reaching up and touching the top of Wakatoshi's shoulder, which is faintly pink.

Wakatoshi looks down, craning her neck to see the spot Shouyou has pointed out. "I was distracted, I didn't reapply sunscreen after we swam." Her expression is tight and frustrated, like she's made a horrible mistake.

"Here, let's get into the shade," Shouyou says. She scoops up her bag and volleyball and cups a hand around Wakatoshi's upper arm, leading her over to the changing huts near the entrance to the beach. "It's the first day this year I've gone to the beach, and usually I get burned really badly – maybe you're getting my bad luck this time!"

Wakatoshi's face slowly relaxes as Shouyou tells her about the worst sunburn she ever got. By the time they're both crowded into one of the changing stalls, curtain drawn, and Shouyou has dug the sunscreen out of her bag, Wakatoshi just looks mildly annoyed.

"I always feel kinda dumb if I forget sunscreen," Shouyou says. "Like, it's super simple! But it's really easy to forget, too." She gets an almost-smile from Wakatoshi for that.

On autopilot from all the times she's helped Natsu apply sunscreen, Shouyou squeezes out a handful of lotion and sets the bottle down. With her other hand, Shouyou slips one of Wakatoshi's swimsuit straps off her shoulder to bunch around her biceps, and slaps half the sunscreen on the first side. She reaches across Wakatoshi's chest to push the other strap down and smear the rest of the sunscreen into place, ending up with a hand on each shoulder. She smooths the slippery lotion along the tops of Wakatoshi's shoulders and over her deltoids, Wakatoshi's skin warm and smooth under her hands.

Shouyou glides her hands over the back of Wakatoshi's neck, around and across her collarbones, and down her chest to the edges of her swimsuit top, stroking firmly back and forth to make sure the sunscreen covers fully and gets worked in. It's too late to undo the burn on her shoulders, but hopefully they're in time to prevent any more damage - especially on the paler tender skin on Wakatoshi's lower chest and near her underarms. Shouyou shifts her attention there.

"Oh," says Wakatoshi. She sounds breathless again, like when they were mid-game, and Shouyou looks up, hands pausing in place – Wakatoshi's cheeks and the tips of her ears are pink now, even darker than her shoulders.

"Did you get sunburn on your face too?" Shouyou reaches up to place her palm against her jaw and touch a thumb to Wakatoshi's cheek, but it's not hot the same way her burned skin is.

Wakatoshi inhales deeply – Shouyou feels it under the hand she still has on her chest. "No," she says slowly.

Shouyou tilts her head. "… Do you need a drink of water? You're really pink." She brushes her thumb over Wakatoshi's cheek again, and reaches back with her other fingers to run along the curve of her ear to check the delicate skin there – that's a nasty place for a sunburn.

Wakatoshi lets out a measured exhale, and says, "You're touching my breast."

Oh no.

Shouyou looks down - her hand is pressed to soft flesh just above the line of Wakatoshi's swimsuit top. She totally _is._

Shouyou pulls both her hands away at once and steps back. "Sorry! I was just putting sunscreen on you – I should have asked first, I'm sorry!"

Wakatoshi blinks a few times. "No, it's fine. I." She pauses for a long moment. "I liked it, and I reacted."

"… You liked it," says Shouyou slowly. Suddenly her face feels warm, and she feels out of breath. Her gaze drops. With the shoulder straps pushed down, Wakatoshi's swimsuit top is struggling to stay up. Her full breasts swell out above the fabric, pushing it down her chest.

… She _liked_ it.

Wakatoshi is a lot bigger than her, and Shouyou trusts her to say if she doesn't like something, so Shouyou doesn't feel like she's being aggressive or anything when she steps forward to close the distance between them, reaching up and putting both her hands back on Wakatoshi's breasts. She curves her fingers a little, feeling warm skin fill her palms, and her heart starts pounding. Wakatoshi's eyes go heavy-lidded, and she breathes out softly, almost a sigh. Her parted lips look soft – usually they're pressed into a firm line when she's looking serious or focusing on volleyball. Shouyou pushes up onto her toes and leans in, feeling their stomachs touch as their bodies press close, and kisses her.

Wakatoshi kisses back. A hand lands on the bare skin of Shouyou's back, and another a little higher, resting between her shoulderblades. Her mouth is soft and warm, and she smells like the ocean and like sunscreen. Shouyou strains to get closer, to lean up further and push her body higher, and ends up instead pushing her hands down and sliding them fully into Wakatoshi's swim top. Nipples brush her palms, and there's a rush of heat between her legs, and Wakatoshi makes an urgent noise into her mouth, and a gust of wind blows stinging sand against Shouyou's ankles—

—They're outside, right. At the beach, with lots of other people around, only barely hidden by a curtain.

Shouyou slows the kiss, and lets her hands fall to the sides of Wakatoshi's waist, just above her swim shorts. She pulls back so their lips part, and drops back down so her heels touch the floor.

Wakatoshi is flushed, breathing deeply, her swim top pulled down to her waist and her breasts completely out. (They're really big and look so soft. Shouyou wants to kiss them, to press her face against them.) Her arms are still around Shouyou, holding the two of them close, and Shouyou slips her arms arounds Wakatoshi's waist in return. She smiles up at the taller woman, and Wakatoshi smiles back, a little lopsided like she doesn't do it often.

They stand quietly together for a moment. Shouyou listens to the beach noises go past just outside, and feels her heart slow down and her breathing settle.

"We're only staying with our grandparents for two more days," says Wakatoshi abruptly.

"So you're leaving pretty soon?" says Shouyou, and Wakatoshi hums an affirmative. Shouyou thinks about that a moment, stroking her hands slowly up and down Wakatoshi's back. "Do you think you wanna do this again? The hanging out and the volleyball – and maybe the kissing?"

Wakatoshi's expression brightens. "Yes. All of it," she says.

"Cool," says Shouyou, grinning widely. She can't help pushing back up onto her toes to kiss Wakatoshi again, and the other woman's mouth opens warm and wet against hers. This time when Shouyou pushes up to meet her, her hands slip down from Wakatoshi's waist to the upper curve of her ass. Wakatoshi makes a different urgent noise, and Shouyou badly wishes they were somewhere with privacy.

They break apart again, both breathing hard again.

"Would you like," asks Wakatoshi, voice low and rough, "to … do more than kissing as well?"

" _Yes,_ " Shouyou says, almost before she's finished speaking. "I really want to!" She takes a breath and slowly lets it out, trying to calm her racing heart. "And I think if we stay in here much longer I'm gonna forget we're in public," she says regretfully.

Shouyou feels Wakatoshi's body shake against hers with laughter, more than she hears the soft chuckle. Wakatoshi leans down to kiss her one more time, soft and quick this time, and then straightens up and releases her.

"Then I won't strain your self-control any further." She's smiling as she says it. Shouyou is still so amazed to see her usually stern and serious former rival looking happy that she almost misses Wakatoshi tucking her breasts back into her swim top. That's captivating in its own way, though – and she looks up to see Wakatoshi looking kind of smug and kind of embarrassed about Shouyou watching.

They escape the changing stall without further incident and start back towards where they left their sisters. Wakatoshi offers to carry something, so Shouyou hands her the volleyball, which Wakatoshi cups against her torso, bent elbow sticking out. Shouyou slings her bag over one shoulder and tucks her other hand into the crook of Wakatoshi's elbow – holding hands would make Natsu ask questions that Shouyou _really_ doesn't have answers for, but it would feel weird and unfriendly if they didn't touch at all right after all that kissing.

Wakatoshi seems to agree; she flexes her biceps and forearm together to squeeze Shouyou's fingers reassuringly.

Deep in conversation, Akiko and Natsu don't even notice them returning until Shouyou calls their names from a few meters away. (Fleetingly, Shouyou wishes she and Wakatoshi had spent a little longer in that changing stall, if their sisters weren't going to miss them for a while longer.)

Natsu points out the time – she and Shouyou should start home to make it in time for dinner, since they have a solid bike ride ahead of them. Wakatoshi and Akiko are also ready to leave, and everyone shakes the sand off of their things and packs up.

All four of them depart the beach together, Shouyou and Natsu walking their bikes until they reach their turnoff for the road to head home. Somehow Akiko and Natsu still haven't run out of things to talk about. Shouyou and Wakatoshi trail behind them.

"So, wanna make plans for tomorrow?" Shouyou asks Wakatoshi as the turnoff comes into view. Natsu is already on her bike a little ways ahead, laughing at something Akiko said. "We can figure out the details tonight – oh wait, hang on, my phone's in my bag though—"

Natsu overhears them. "How did you spend all day together and not trade numbers? What were you even _doing,_ " she scoffs.

Shouyou struggles not to grin at that, because she really doesn't want to explain what's so funny. She sneaks a glance at Wakatoshi and sees the tips of her ears going pink.

Akiko offers, "Natsu and I can make a group chat and add you both, that might be simplest."

"Thank you," says Wakatoshi, and "Awesome!" Shouyou exclaims. She swings a leg over her bike and gets ready to take off.

"It was really nice to meet you!" Shouyou tells Akiko, who quickly bows and returns the sentiment. ("Nice to meet you both!" Natsu echoes.) To Wakatoshi, a little quieter, Shouyou says "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Wakatoshi replies, eyes warm.

Shouyou smiles back at her for an endless moment. She kicks off and follows Natsu down the road, twisting around to shout goodbye as both Ushijimas fade into the distance.

Facing forward again, Shouyou grins into the breeze as she and Natsu pick up speed. Wakatoshi isn't one of the people Shouyou was expecting to see while she was back home, but for a chance encounter it turned out to be a pretty great surprise.

**Author's Note:**

> i'd like to dedicate this to my sports anime fandom server for being some of the loveliest and supportive people I know <3


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